This invention relates to enclosures for electronic and/or mechanical components to ensure electromagnetic interference (EMI) and radio frequency interference (RFI) shielding for electronic components and/or protective shielding for mechanical components and more particularly to magnetically secure covers for such enclosures.
It is known in the refrigeration art to provide a magnetic latch assembly for the door of a refrigerator. This magnetic latch assembly is located at only one predetermined location on the wall of the refrigerator box adjacent the opening thereof and in a mating location on the door. When the door is closed and attracted by the magnetic latch assembly to close the opening of the refrigerator box a gasket disposed completely around the opening of the refrigerator box is compressed to provide only an atmospheric seal or shielding for the contents of the refrigerator box. There is no intention of or no need to provide EMI and RFI shielding for the contents of the refrigerator box.
The presently employed means for RFI and EMI shielding between electronic enclosures is accomplished by attaching covers over the opening of the enclosure with closely spaced hardware, such as bolts, clamps, latches or other mechanical means. Although these methods are used they are costly and subject to human failings, such as improper tightening of bolts causing distortion or looseness of fit, loss of hardware, particularly in the field where the hardware cannot be replaced, resulting in gaps in the RFI and EMI shielding, etc.
In addition, when such RFI and EMI shielding enclosures are desired to be maintained it is necessary for the maintenance man prior to performing maintenance to unfasten many closely spaced bolts or other hardware to remove the cover to gain access to the electronic components within the enclosure and then refasten the hardware after the maintenance has been performed. In addition, when the cover is removed by unfastening the bolts, all of the subsystems which are contained in compartments within the enclosure for shielding purposes loose the shielding of the cover, thus making it difficult to align the subsystems due to intercompartment interference signals.